Hydrangea not appropriate for here. If you can give plenty of water, Clethra alnifolia and prune. Cornus might do there, but big. Some Mahonia. You might be better off going over to RMG forum. Dan

Semiarundinaria is quite vertical. There are many unconfined plantings of it in the area, that have not spread all over - this is true of other species used here also, the outcome varies with the situation. But any running bamboo can suddenly start coming up yards away from the mother clump, making the installation of barrier essential where such an occurrence would be a problem. All the full height Thuja occidentalis cultvars have approximately the same vigor. The 'Smaragd' will be so much more prevalent than the others because it is what people are looking for. The only problem with it is it is more prone to poor soil drainage than most others, resulting in frequent internet questions about part of a hedge of it going brown. I have also seen it browned in sections by mites during hot weather. But this latter development is probably not especially peculiar to 'Smaragd'. 'Oregon Blue' is merely an otherwise more or less typical Chamaecyparis lawsoniana with a saturated blue coloration. The vigor of some local specimens suggests these are programmed to grow into towering trees just like thousands of other examples of the species in local plantings. In the wild the species is interesting for growing just about everywhere within the comparatively small range it occupies, unlike many other wild tree species now confined to small ranges - and also being limited to specific site conditions within those ranges. So no, there is no particular soil moisture regime etc. that must be provided for it - numerous other cultivars of C. lawsoniana are still all over the place on local properties, despite the inroads of several different root pathogens in later times. The main thing is to place it in soil that drains well - and is not or does not become infested with one of the water molds that kills even specimens that have been in place for decades.

No, not in a 4' x 20' bed. Alberta Conifers will get too fat in my opinion. You need a more conical and narrow tree or shrub. Talk to your local Garden Center about what grows best in your area and tell them the story. They should be able to give you a handful of options. Thanks!

my kids ran thru my rose bushes.. ONLY ONCE ... i would not opt out of something just cuz of the kids ... they learn real fast .... GG's are way to huge.. i would recommend Thuja occidentalis 'Degroot's Spire', for thinness.. though it is still an arb ... copy/paste this link: https://www.google.com/search?q=Thuja+occ+de+groots+spire&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=rcs&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=KSUuUqrLCYbuyAHxjYG4Bg&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1274&bih=810 conifers are trees.. they never really stop growing.. ALL size estimates are at 10 years.. which is 10 years of its annual growth rate .... and one can presume.. they will be twice as big in 20 ... i premise any of my info with the caveat i know nothing about your zone ... you said: 4) Something that can deal with moisture thats cryptic ... with PROPER PLANTING... it is not an issue ... short of being a real bog .... the issue is PROPER drainage.. and secondarily.. perhaps.. non-draining soils like clay ... read up about such at the link ... dig a hole.. and give us some real facts about this ....... why is there water there???? i dont want you making bad decisions based on things that should not be a variable ... and finally: 5) Something that can deal with limited sun this weekend [or any sunny day if you are a stay at home] .. you and a timer.. and go out there every single hour.. and tell us EXACTLY HOW MANY HOURS of sun ..... no guessing... part shade.. means absolutely nothing... and also explain .... how deep the shade is .... very bright to cave like.... also list what is growing there now.. that is an indicator ... we need more facts ... to move on with the analysis .... welcome... ken Here is a link that might be useful: link